Editor’s Note: Welcome to V3 Weekend, Vanyaland‘s guide to help you sort out your weekend entertainment with curated selections and recommendations across our three pillars of Music, Comedy, and Film/TV. It’s what you should know about, where you need to be, and where you’ll be going, with us riding shotgun along the way.
Music: Dropkick Murphys at MGM Music Hall and House of Blues
We’re shipping up to Boston! Kicking off a Very Irish V3 Weekend with the biggest fish in our pond as Dropkick Murphys take over the weekend with two shows tonight and Saturday (March 17 and 18) at MGM Music Hall at Fenway, with a closing gig Sunday (March 19) at House of Blues. The traditional St. Patrick’s Day hometown swing kicked off last night at MGM, and for those who can’t make it out tonight for the greenest night of them all (or are simply reluctant to leave the house), the show will be livestreamed via Veeps at 8:45 p.m. Boston time. The Dropkicks released new album This Machine Still Kills Fascists last fall, and another creative collaboration with late folk pioneer Woody Guthrie, Okemah Rising, arrives in May. We’ll hear selections from both, for sure, but for this weekend, it’s all about the hits — cue the ‘pipes! — across one of our city’s grandest traditions, whether you like it or not.
DROPKICK MURPHYS :: Friday, March 17 and Saturday March 18 at MGM Music Hall at Fenway, 2 Lansdowne St. in Boston, MA; Sunday, March 19 at House of Blues, 15 Lansdowne St. in Boston, MA :: Event info: Friday + Saturday + Sunday
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Comedy: ‘Big Irish’ Jay Hollingsworth at Laugh Boston
We’re shipping up to the Seaport! Fresh off his special-taping up in Beverly this week, “Big Irish” Jay Hollingsworth fulfills his cultural duty with three shows over two nights at Laugh Boston, first tonight (March 17) and then a pair of gigs on Saturday (March 18). The funnyman that Gary Gulman called “ballsy and very, very funny” — that’s high praise — is no stranger to our comedy pages, and for this St. Patrick’s Day revelry he’ll be joined by a host of friends in Tyler Smith, Kane Holloway, Manny Martin, and Brady Matthews. Check out our 2019 profile on Hollingsworth, and buckle up for what’s sure to be a safe bet for intentional comedy around town this shitshow weekend.
‘BIG IRISH’ JAY HOLLINGSWORTH :: Friday, March 17 and Saturday, March 18 at Laugh Boston, 425 Summer St. in Boston, MA :: Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 6 and 9 p.m., $33 :: Venue page :: Advance tickets
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Film/TV: ‘The Town’ at Coolidge Corner Theatre
We’re shipping up to Brookline! Well, that certainly doesn’t have the same ring to it, but it still counts, especially as The Coolidge celebrates Massholes on the big screen this Saturday (March 18) with an After Midnight showing of The Town. As the Dropkicks take over Lansdowne, Ben Affleck and Jeremy Renner take down “the cathedral of Boston” right next door, showing us a particular set of skills apparently honed in Charlestown, USA. And you gotta show up, because hey, knock knock — they “have men outside your homes.”
Here’s the word (like you don’t already have this shit memorized): “Welcome to the bank robbery capital of America. Academy Award winner Affleck writes, directs and stars in this crime drama/romance. Based on the novel The Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan, Affleck’s film follows a career criminal (Affleck) who finds himself romantically involved with the manager of a bank (Rebecca Hall) he held up. A high-stakes love triangle develops when an equally infatuated FBI agent (Jon Hamm) arrives in the pursuit of justice. Stolen cash and a stolen heart lead to a relationship that could destroy this prince of thieves.”
‘THE TOWN’ :: Saturday, March 18 at The Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St. in Brookline, MA :: 11:59 p.m. $15.50 :: Event info and tickets